TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2015
PAGE 5
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arts & features
TRENDING
TRENDING Nationwide "dead boy" commercial draws criticism for sobering up Super Bowl
KELLY CORDINGLEY
@kellycordingley
Budweiser's lost puppy commercial that aired during the Super Bowl
ESPN reporter Dan Graziano tweeted his dislike for the commercial and questioned the advertising team that came up with the idea.
"No one in the Nationwide advertising meeting put up his hand and went, "Let's sleep on this?" his tweet said.
Actor and screenwriter John Francis Daley tweeted that Nationwide's commercial "ruined the Super Bowl."
Even if no one remembers what Kate Upton was advertising or how darling the lost puppy in the Budweiser commercial was, people will surely remember the sobering ad in which a little boy says he died. Maybe that was the intention after all.
There certainly were a wide array of commercials this year,and as always is with the Super Bowl commercials,some soar to the top of the favorites list and some are barely remembered.
Instead of sticking with its playful advertisement featuring Mindy Kaling trying to kiss Matt Damon, Nationwide decided to drop a heart-stopping commercial that made everyone put down their queso-smothered chip and look around in horror. The Twittern sphere certainly felt the wrath of upset viewers.
Another commercial that held sentimental value — though for other reasons — was the rather depressing Nationwide commercial. When the young boy narrating the commercial said, "I couldn't grow up because I died from an accident," viewers' emotions took a sudden turn from light-hearted to heavy.
B commercial that aired during the Super Bowl tugged at heartstrings around the nation. As the Clydesdales led the precious yellow lab puppy home, many shed a tear remembering their lost childhood dog, missing their puppy back at home or looking at their puppy begging for some five-layer dip.
Edited by Emma LeGault
CNBC tweeted a photo of Nationwide's statement with a caption that read, "Nationwide has an explanation for its depressing Super Bowl ad." The statement said the ad was crucial in starting a conversation, and the point was to increase awareness about an issue dear to everyone's heart: children's safety.
While a discussion certainly is occurring, the moments on Twitter after the commercial aired were filled with memes either making fun of the advertisement or cringing at its depressing tone. Many used the still image of the boy to make fun of the last play of the game where the Seattle Seahawks coach opted not to run the ball and instead pass it, leading to an interception by New England cornerback Malcolm Butler — a decision that is now being criticized as one of the worst plays in Super Bowl history.
"While some did not care for the ad, we hope it served to begin a dialogue to make safe happen for children everywhere," the statement said.
According to an assessment of Facebook, Twitter and YouTube comments by Amobee Brand Intelligence. 64 percent of viewers said the commercial was negative. Only 12 percent of viewers had positive reactions and 24 percent were neutral.
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO FROM CHRIS LOCEK
KATHERINE HARTLEY
@ kat hart9
The temperature was below freezing and there was a light snow falling as Guru's Gravel Grinders took to the North Lawrence gravel roads to bike 44 miles Sunday morning. The ride, called the Lake Dabinawa Grinder, was the fifth one hosted near Lawrence.
The Kansas-based gravel biking group has been around since 2006, when leader Chris Locke, a Kansas City resident, created a gravel biking blog and began to invite people to rides. He estimates the group has grown to more than 300 riders total since its start, but the number of riders vary from race to race. He said membership really picked up around 2009 once the group started giving a name to each ride.
"I just do it to give back to the gravel sport that I love," Locke said.
While the weather affects the number of bikers that show up, the group will ride through just about anything. A ride in Baldwin City last month, named the Mullet, attracted 120 riders while only about 14 riders attended the Lake Dabinawa Grinder.
However, Locke said it was one of the most fun rides he has been on. The snowy conditions and adverse elements challenge him and helps other riders train for upcoming winter races, such as the 100-mile CIRREM race in Iowa at the end of February, he said.
"The best part of it is trying to keep your equipment going — it's just a different challenge." Locke said. "It was a good time and everyone that rode had a smile on their face. They enjoy the hard stuff, those elements like that."
Locke said the emptiness of the gravel roads is preferable to road rides.
"I like starting close to the gravel so we don't have to ride on the roads, because the gravel is a lot safer," he said. "Today we got passed by one person [in a car], we only saw one person out there and that's nice."
A group of the Guru's Gravel Grinders members are also part of the Cow Town Cycling race team, of which Locke is the president.
The team, which rides spring through fall, uses the Guru's Gravel Grinders winter rides as a way to stay in shape and keep up with training.
"Cow Town Cycling is primarily a mountain bike race team, but in the winter months the trails tend to get muddy and unrideable, so a good way to stay in shape over the winter is to ride gravel," Arnaud said.
In order to host a ride, Locke usually asks these team members to come up with the routes, keeping the mileage between 30 and 65 miles. Jeff Arnaud, a Lawrence resident and five-year gravel biker, hosted the Lake Dabinawa
"I just do it to give back to the gravel sport that I love."
CHRIS LOCKE Guru's Gravel Grinders leader
ride
"I usually host one of them a year. It's just a good way to give back to the team and the sport."
Arnaud said.
Aside from the 100-kilometer (about 62 miles) CIRREM race, there is also the morethan-300-mile Trans-Iowa gravel road race in April and Emporia's Dirty Kanza in May.
The Dirty Kanza is celebrating its 10th anniversary with its "Decade of Dirty" celebration. Riders can choose between a 20-mile, 50-mile, 100-mile and 200-mile race. Dan Hughes, a Lawrence gravel bike rider, has participated most years — completing seven rides and winning four times. (One year he wrecked and another year he didn't compete because of an injury.) Up to 900 people have participated in the past, and there is expected to be more than 1,500 bikers competing this year.
"It's a great event and it's just another one of those gravel grinders that's kind of a Midwestern thing, but it's catching fire and it's awesome," Hughes said.
Hughes, who owns Sunflower Outdoor and Bike Shop at 804 Massachusetts St., has been riding for more than 15 years and said he is excited to see that more and more people are picking up the sport. He said he started gravel biking because of a desire to ride for long distances without having to deal with traffic and other distractions.
"You can go out for a 50-mile gravel road ride and see one car," he said. "But you also get
to go through cool, little tiny towns that you never would go otherwise. It's just a lot of different surfaces and cool roads and no cars. It's just a great experience overall."
Guru's Gravel Grinders hosts at least two rides a month. The next one is this weekend in Jamesport, Mo.
This self-supportive group of bikers rides rain or shine around Kansas and Missouri, and while most of the rides are pretty basic when it comes to technical skill, Arnaud said riders still have to be confident in their ability to ride the route.
Hughes said he encourages people to go and ride, even if it's just on an old, clunky mountain bike that's in the garage.
"Hop on it and just go ride to the end of the levee, and follow the gravel roads to see where they take you," he said. "It's about a sense of exploration and the random farm dog who's super excited that you're on his gravel road. It's just getting right in there with nature and having a great time doing it."
The Guru's Gravel Grinders rides are always free and open to anyone who wants to join.
- Edited by Emma LeGault
Black Box Productions gives students control
RYAN WRIGHT
@ryanwaynewright
Each year, Black Box Productions allows the University Theatre's promising students to write and direct their own plays. Now in its fifth year, the program gives students full creative control over their works, which allows them to further develop their writing and directing skills. In the past, the plays were solely student-directed, but this year marks the first time that the plays were written by students.
The two plays being performed this year are "How to Survive College and Other Painful Acts" and "Spilled Time: A Comedy."
'HOW TO SURVIVE COLLEGE AND OTHER PAINFUL ACTS'
"How to Survive College and Other Painful Acts" is written by Cale Morrow, a sophomore from Dodge City majoring in theatre and minoring in music and creative writing.
The play is about daily struggles that many college students face. Morrow was inspired to write the play because he felt it will resonate with his peers.
"It's a very real story about the struggles that young adults go through while in college." Morrow said. "My own struggles and the challenges I've faced throughout my college career are what inspired me to write this play. I figured that if I could write a relatable piece that was also really funny, then maybe other students could learn from my struggles and have an easter time in college."
Morrow has been in theater nearly his entire life; he performed in his first musical when he was only 6 years old. Since then, he's been in a myriad of different productions and plans to continue with his work in theatre. He said he is currently pursuing different options and is excited to see what his future holds.
The production is directed by Blake Beardall, a junior from Overland Park majoring in theatre performance and minoring in creative writing. Beardall has been involved in theater for a large portion of his life, as he began acting in seventh grade. He said he agrees that the play will be highly relatable to college students.
"I was the first one of my family to go to a large college and I had always heard wild stories and had seen movies depicting college as 'the best years of your life,'" he said. "When I got here, I was sorely disappointed. This show is about creating your own happiness and I think that's a message that's important to a lot of people."
To offer a simple summary, Tong said, "One man, with a device that could stop time or fast forward time, meets a woman in an abandoned cafe, as he preps himself to take on an evil supervillain and a few agents along the way. With the help of a coffee clerk, a martial artist, and an overbearing ego that is his heroism, he takes on the doctor, and saves the world."
"Spilled Time: A Comedy" is written by Thomas Tong, a senior from Olathe majoring in theatre with a focus on performance. The play is a comedy which aims to take the audience out of everyday life and into a world where the lead encounters obstacles that comes from all angles and where the stakes are very high.
'SPILLED TIME; A COMEDY'
Tong said the production is inspired by the slapstick comedy that was used in "The 39 Steps," a play University Theatre performed two years ago.
"When I went and saw that show, the audiences were so enthused by it, they were taken out of reality," he said.
"What resonates with me about the show is the want to be important, to find the significance of our lives," Nevins said. "When we have been thrust into a situation that gives us a chance to act on or deface our own values, it's the choices of the characters that I like to see."
Nevins comes from a family with a background in theater. His parents met doing "Pippin" in Kansas City, in which they were the leads and lovers Pippin and Katherine. Once they got married, they continued to work in theater which lead to Nevins spending a lot of his childhood backstage in various theaters in Kansas City, Leavenworth and even Germany. Nevins ended up in
Tong started theater when he was around 10 years old and hopes to eventually be on Saturday Night Live as either a host, writer or a part of the cast. He's currently writing more works and is planning on doing a feature film as a screenwriter. He is also in the process of writing a television episodic story.
The play is directed by Christoph Nevins, a junior from Overland Park majoring in theatre performance.
"They went into the world of spies and humor."
Germany because his mother works for the military as a records manager and did theater while she was there.
"I'm more interested in acting over directing, but I'm moving towards play writing myself", he said. "I have an outline for a short play along with a three-act that will hopefully put up next year in the Black Box."
His parents' work in the theater inspired Nevins to take a chance. When he was 14, he auditioned for his first role — landing two roles — and has been working constantly since then.
Black Box Productions will open on Friday, Feb. 13 at 7:30 p.m. and will continue to run each night until Feb. 19 excluding Feb. 16. Each day, shows begin at 7:30 p.m., however on Feb. 16 shows begin at 2:30 p.m. The show-times include combined performances with one show running right after the other in the William Inge Memorial Theatre. Tickets are still available and are $5 for students in advance and $10 at the door. KU Theatre can be located at 1530 Naismith Dr. #317. For more information, visit kutheatre.com.
Edited by Valerie Haag
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